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Best day ever. There is so much to see and do in Ulan-Bator compared to indifferent Irkutsk. We were picked up straight off the train early this morning by the owners of the hostel. Unfortunately, due to the delay in reply from one hostel, we'd presumed they were full and so booked another; only to find two signs, side-by-side reading 'Anna Fowler' and 'Jennifer Daniel'. We swiftly deciphered which one we'd paid the deposit for and ushered them from the platform before the other sign-holder cottoned on - I wonder if he's still standing there waiting?!
After a quick shower and a cup of coffee, we headed into Ulan-Bator to see the sights Sukhbataar square is a stunning space, spanning the area before Parliament house - a superbly grand building, it was chock-full of Mongolians in traditional dress. We then spotted a typically Buddhist-style building, so ventured down a decidedly dodgy side-alley to take some photos. It turned out to be the Choijin Lama Temple Museum and considering the entry fee was around 40p - we decided it wouldn't break the bank to take a look around. Aside from the fine collection of art and relics, the temples were fairly drab and not notably spectacular - maybe they should have charged more and used it to brighten the place up a bit!
We then braved Mongolian fast-food in the State Department Store presuming this would be safe, and aside copious amounts of fatty mutton, it was actually very tasty. Next stop the Wrestling Palace! Tickets costed 6000 Togrog (about $4) for hours of sweaty Mongolian fun. Men dressed in calf-high elf boots (gutal), a jacket consisting solely of arms (zodog) and a pair of very tight drawstring pants (shuudag), wrestled with one another until one fell to the ground. It was absolutely hilarious, as even after three hours of watching these trunk-clad Mongolians grapple, we were still none the wiser as to which team of wrestlers was winning??
I feel we were appreciated by our fellow spectators just as much as we appreciated watching muscular, semi-naked men wrestle. Cameras that were surely supposed to be filming and capturing the action within the ring, kept suspiciously turning towards us! Perhaps it's not the norm for English girls to frequent the Wrestling Palace? None the less, we had a particularly entertaining afternoon and my camera's content is now decidedly more fruity! Absolutely loving Mongolia! Anna x
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